Ken Bruce urges BBC to ‘watch where it’s going’ after his hostile exit

Ken Bruce has expressed interest for the aboriginal of the BBC pursuing his exit.

The broadcaster, 73, hosted a weekday mid-morning show connected BBC Radio 2 betwixt 1986 and 2023 earlier his acquainted mid-morning slot was changed to a late-night show.

It was astatine this clip that Ken decided to manus successful his resignation, and, successful April past year, he near to articulation Greatest Hits Radio.

Reflecting connected his exit, the Scottish radio presenter has present said helium believes politics influenced the Beeb to nudge him out, hence his vexation with a caller procreation of presenters taking implicit the airwaves.

In a caller interview, Ken vented astir younger stars who walk overmuch of their clip connected the mic regaling tales from their ain lives.

‘I deliberation immoderate younger radical successful broadcasting, little experienced people, tin say, “They privation to perceive maine speech astir myself.” And that’s not needfully true,’ Ken said.

He added to The Times: ‘It’s not astir what you say, it’s what you don’t accidental connected radio.

‘You don’t person to speech a batch to marque an impression. You tin bash that successful 3 words oregon a sentence. You don’t person to speech for 4 minutes astir what you were doing oregon what you thought was funny.’

Sharing his worries for the absorption the BBC mightiness beryllium heading in, Ken continued: ‘I bash interest for the aboriginal of the BBC. I deliberation it needs to ticker wherever it is going.

‘Commercial vigor is truly healthy; it is increasing and increasing and growing. And I conscionable deliberation it’s hard to reinvent thing [the Radio 2 schedule] that has been palmy for galore years.

‘It’s a dilatory organisation to crook around, similar a supertanker. It needs radical with imaginativeness to marque definite it goes the close way.’

This isn’t the archetypal clip Ken has voiced his feelings towards the broadcaster since his departure.

Shortly earlier fronting his last amusement past spring, helium wrote connected X: ‘I volition beryllium presenting my past amusement connected Radio 2 adjacent Friday. I had intended fulfilling my declaration until the extremity of March but the BBC has decided it wants maine to permission earlier. Let’s bask the week ahead!’

A spokesperson responded to Ken’s remarks astatine the clip with: ‘Ken decided to permission Radio 2 and it’s ever been known he’s leaving successful March.

‘Returning to Wogan House for a week aft a period of broadcasting the Piano Room sessions astatine Maida Vale provided a earthy break.’

‘We privation Ken each the champion for the future,’ they concluded.

Unfortunately for the BBC, Ken’s resignation has taken a toll connected their Radio 2 figures, arsenic helium seemingly took the listeners with him.

Over 1 cardinal radical present nary longer tune in, while he secures an mean of 3.8million listeners per week astatine Greatest Hits, which Ken believes is down to Radio 2 attempting to marketplace itself arsenic a ‘cool’ station.

Imploring them to ditch this mindset, the legendary big wants them to absorption connected appealing to those implicit the property of 35.

Earlier this summer, Ken told the Beyond The Title podcast: ‘There should ever beryllium a wide part betwixt Radio 1 and Radio 2. It’s a authorities of mind, not conscionable astir the euphony played.’

He past stated that ‘Radio 2 reasoning it’s chill is the worst happening we tin do’, to which a spokesperson responded: ‘Radio 2, the UK’s astir listened to vigor presumption with 13.2million listeners each week, continues to people an assemblage aged 35+, a people that has remained unchanged for decades.’

They added to Metro.co.uk that Vernon Kay, who presents Radio 2’s weekday mid-morning show, remains the UK’s astir listened-to vigor programme with 6.75 cardinal listeners each week.

Vernon was officially confirmed to beryllium Ken’s replacement past February. BBC DJ Gary Davies filled successful arsenic a mid-morning big until past May earlier Vernon took implicit permanently.

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